A study of the fiber obtained from the water bamboo husks

The water bamboo husks are the main agricultural wastes of Taiwan in summer. In this study, the fiber obtained from the water bamboo husks was investigated by CP/MAS C-13 NMR, elemental analysis, and adiabatic calorimeter. Moreover, the pyrolysis behavior of the fiber was studied by TGA, TGA-GC-MS and Py-GC-MS. The kinetic parameters of the pyrolysis process of the fiber were calculated by the modified Kilzer-Broido model, Coats and Redfern method, Harcourt and Esson relationship, and Ozawa method, respectively. The results imply that the fiber is cellulose I type. Moreover, the kinetic analysis reveals that the pyrolysis of the fiber in nitrogen is more likely to be the model D3 mechanism. However, the pyrolysis of the fiber in air is much more complicated and the activation energies of pyrolysis are quite different from those in nitrogen. Based on the TGA-GC-MS and Py-GC-MS study, the decomposed products from the pyrolysis of the fiber are of interest for their potential use as organic resources. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.